y furnished office. A sign on the door rea

here. Hope was a fragile th

ind out the truth about my daughter's parentage. And...

nd a patient demeanor, nodded.

and Grant's admission about Lily not being his, but Bea's. She told him about Grant's financial su

else. I was pregnant once, early in our marriage. I miscarried.

s. "I'll need names, dates

f relief, handing over the burden of discovery. But a s

rs. Vance, I have information. It

ounded. She met h

. "Mrs. Vance, what I

ughter. Your husband, Grant Vance, was involved in a private surrogacy arrangement

d suspected. But

pregnancy... you didn

tion. The words hit he

utside of town. There was a... an incident. Your son was switched with another

t breathe. Her

maceutical lab Grant Vance has significant investments in. Northwood Pharma. It's an animal

ared, unco

cording to a whistleblower I contacted, his

s throat. Her world shattere

old and absolute, began t

clinic. One going one way, one another. He then showed her visitor logs from Northwood Pharma. Grant Vance's

rning rage. Despair thr

, doting on Lily, flashed i

s gone. She broke down, sobs wracking h

. Stolen. Abu

rant

or's phone buzzed.

. Hope you're having a

ickening. Did he th

Anger solidified into

an't make it. N

ifying, but also empowering.

ant's office building. She needed

nist she was dropping

rds his wing, she heard famili

conference r

ked through

eting. Grant had Bea pressed agains

rged through Eleanor. Disg

of his betrayal, so bl

e that there was some

unseen, her hea

d no escape. Eleanor tos

aunted her. Crying in a cold lab.

wound. Despair clung

l, her body aching wit

was immense, her i

going was the burning nee

me early. He was smiling, an al

onderful news. Bea will be

omentarily stunned into

oject near Lily's school. It makes perfect sense for her to st

or. Anger simmered beneath a

affair, taunting her

ened. He was mak

u, Grant," she said, her

t day, all smiles a

lly shy but soon charmed by Bea's attention, especia

red excitedly about id

on her face. "It'll be so fun having you

meeting Eleanor's over Lily's h

in Eleanor's chest.

r daughter's affection while being compli

face a mask, her mi

old financial files for Reilly, Eleanor found a

divorce agreement. D

were carefully protected, leaving Eleanor with almost

a cold acceptance. He had never loved

r piece of evidence. Ano

o ruin him, was now absolute

ad drafted on his study desk, on top of a stack of other p

with a potential investor, a dea

her voice neutral. "The usual quarterly reports

cribbled his signature on each page Eleanor indicated, includ

tounding. His disreg

arriage without a second thought, a f

ce by piece. His own acti